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Nestor Aparicio

Am I the only one?

Nestor Aparicio

The Ravens coaching search has cooled significantly over the past four days after a week of a flurry of actvity. So, now after the wait, we’ve had the weekend to watch football, root hard for the “adopted” teams of our choice and watch as candidate after candidate to be our next leader shows up in our living rooms. Am I the only one who EVERY time I see Jason Garrett, I wonder: “Hmmm…Is THAT the guy they’re gonna pick?” I can’t be the only one who was thinking that earlier today with Jim Caldwell, or even now when I see Steve Spagnuolo and Tony Sparano. Even Jim Mora Jr.’s face yesterday gave me a thought to wonder “What if?”. And in the next 48 hours, Mike Holmgren could be leaving Seattle and Tony Dungy could be waving goodbye to Indianapolis. Congrats to Norv Turner’s bunch in San Diego. Beating the Colts on the road is impressive enough, but doing it crunch time without Phillip Rivers AND LaDanian Tomlinson? WOW! This whole exercise feels kinda futile, after you watch how Tom Brady manuevered that offense last night.    

Come out to Piv’s today…and other stuff

Nestor Aparicio

Just prepping for the pair of games today — we’ll be at Piv’s from 1 til ? doing a fun Corona promotion. Come out, wear a little purple, watch a little football, drink some $2 Coronas. I’m happy because it’s getting my lazy ass off the couch. I gotta tell ya, I thought LAST YEAR’S way of watching the playoffs was a lot more fun. I got a sick reminder yesterday when my wife and I did the obligatory “putting away of the holiday crap” in our storage area. And there, lying right in the front part of the unit was a BIG box full of 12 strands of purple rope lights that we bought on line exactly 56 weeks ago. These are the giant 20-footers that you can wrap around windows. Well, when the Ravens hit the 10-and-whatever mark, we got on line and found a discounter selling purple rope lights for like $10 a throw. We bought a case of them, wrapped our place so it looked like Greg Brady’s bedroom in the Johnny Bravo episode. (For the ladies, the glow would be more of a “lavender” — not quite like the club level at the purple palace.)

Terps reach the halfway mark…Steve Hennessey checks in from Garyland

Nestor Aparicio

Because my man Steve Hennessey couldn’t get HIS blog up, I’ll post it for him. Steve has been WNST’s main salesguy since the beginning (or even before that!). We call him the Vice President of all Things Terps at WNST. He’s a Terrapin Clubber from way back and has been known to yell “Carolina ref!” at the drop of a charging foul. He misses Cole Field House, too! (I added that part!) His report is below…his words, not mine… I’m just hooking a brotha’ up… “Terps reach the half-way mark” By Steve Hennessey With their non-conference schedule in the books, the (10-6, 0-1 ACC) Terps men’s basketball season have reached the half-way point…16 games down, 15 ACC league games to go. So, how do the Terps look at the mid-year? Fairly average… Maryland got off to a decent start with a 4-0 record, only to lose both games (by double digits) in the CBC Classic in Kansas City in early November. They bounced back with a gritty win at home vs. Illinois in the ACC vs. Big Ten Challenge (has the Big 10 Ever been remotely competitive in this event?) which featured some inspired play by freshman center Braxton Dupree

Terrell Suggs tells Phoenix station he wants to be a Cardinal

Nestor Aparicio

While you were sleeping, Terrell Suggs began attempting to pave his road out of Baltimore. As first reported here in Baltimore on Glenn Clark’s “Crabs and Beer,”  Suggs told a Phoenix radio station that he wants to play for the Arizona Cardinals. Here is the link to the story from the East Valley Tribune… The Ravens plan to use the franchise tag on Suggs, if necessary, to keep him in purple. The Cardinals, meanwhile, apparently have no interest in “big ticket” free agents this offseason. It was a bizarre thing for Suggs to say, even if he did spend the first 20 years of his life in the Valley of the Sun. It’ll be interesting to see how the new coaching staff handles these offseason situations. Too many microphones, too little common sense. A shame, really…        

Maybe Aubrey Huff rubbed it too much?

Nestor Aparicio

Am I the only one in this city who is still outraged by Aubrey Huff’s comments about Baltimore? And outraged that spring training is five weeks away and that they’re planning on bringing this loser back here to play baseball again this summer? Some poor female broadcaster makes a foolish faux paus this week with the Tiger Woods’ “lynching” comment. Woods said it was no big deal. His agent called it a non-story. Now, her career looks wrecked. A shame… Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles’ $8 million a year first baseman has called our city a “horses**t” town and we’re going to welcome him back with open arms and a full paycheck on Opening Day? Rest assured, those of us who are still outraged won’t be allowing that to happen. Meanwhile, The Sun’s Dan Connolly wrote one of the funniest lines in recent Baltimore journalism history this morning:   “Club officials knew that Huff had felt discomfort in his groin during offseason workouts but hoped he would be able to avoid surgery.”   Maybe he rubbed it too much during those long afternoons of hangovers in those $300 a night hotels with the Spice Channel. Or maybe he has too much

And on the Ninth Day, the Ravens finally rested…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s now been 10 mornings since the firing of Brian Billick. While the fans on the outside have been hitting refresh on their browsers awaiting word of the next candidate (or in my case some actual honest information about what this process entails), the powers that be inside The Bellagio have been working nonstop trying to find the next coach of the Baltimore Ravens. For virtually everyone in the room, it is a daunting task, no doubt filled with questions, answers, background checks and a series of possibilities for assistant coaches that must look like some crazy algorithm. If they bring in more candidates next week – and the word from the inside is that there are STILL more candidates who will be brought in from current playoff teams – they might need to tear down the draft war room from last April and erect a coaching war room. So many names. So many possibilities. And the worst part? No true consensus forming just yet. “If we hire this guy, who could he bring with him for the staff?” “What are the strengths, what are the weaknesses of each candidate?” “What exactly are we looking for and what do we

Handicapping the Ravens’ job search is impossible…but we’ll try!

Nestor Aparicio

Everywhere I go, and with every email I open, people are all asking the same question: Who is going to be the next coach of the Ravens? As was borne out last Monday morning, it’s all but impossible to obtain accurate and reliable information from the Ravens at this point, because it feels like the last 10 days of the job search have been an “hour by hour” situation. It’s weird after almost 13 years to think that the Ravens are flying by the seat of their pants, but it sure looks that way. I’ll go through the skinny on the candidates below, but here’s an overview of what I know and/or believe. A few things that have been made clear to me: 1.    No one in the organization had any clue that Brian Billick was in trouble, because there was zero manpower put into even making a short list of candidates before the “wildcat” firing. The franchise was woefully unprepared to begin the monumental task of finding a coach on such short notice. The committee (believed to include Steve Bisciotti, Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome, Kevin Byrne, Eric Decosta, George Kokinis and Pat Moriarty) has been doing background checks on

Joe Gibbs’ resignation will change the NFL job pool

Nestor Aparicio

The story is only a few minutes old, but the resignation of Joe Gibbs in Washington is sure to affect the coaching pool for potential head coaching and assistant coaching candidates throughout the league. Who knows what Danny Snyder thinks of Gregg Williams? Who knows what direction he’ll go in now that his “savior” failed to win a playoff game in his return to the nation’s capital. (CORRECTION BELOW…Gibbs did win one playoff game in Tampa Bay…the author stands corrected)… It was very apparent that whatever Joe Gibbs would be in his second term, it most surely to be a “short term” arrangement. Gibbs wasn’t going to the be the Redskins coach for a decade the second time around. This morning’s announcement can’t REALLY be a surprise to anyone in the league. So, for Rex Ryan, Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer (who almost got the job the last time), and any other prime candidate, there appears to be one more stop for the coaching carousel — Raljon. It only happened 10 minutes ago — so the fallout is far from being predictable at this point — but it does change the status of the coaching arrangements in the league now that

Could the Schwartz be with us?

Nestor Aparicio

So, today was Brian Schottenheimer’s turn in Owings Mills. The speculation is juicy, isn’t it. Marty Ball could come here with Cam Cameron running the offense (and neither has an interview scheduled). Or Marty’s son could be hired as the head coach. And the revolving door of candidates continues. Tomorrow, it’s Philadelphia assistant John Harbaugh’s turn. And in the latest turn, apparently our own resident WNST football defensive guru, Tennessee Titans’ defensive coordinator and Arbutus native Jim Schwartz, will get his time with the Ravens’ management council according to The Sun and the NFL Network’s Adam Schefter. (I spoke to Schwartz at 8:35 p.m. tonight and he said the reports of an imminent visit were news to him. But he said all of his relatives have been calling all night after reading the reports and he said he’d be very prepared if he does visit Baltimore. This time last night he was on a plane leaving San Diego with his season coming to a crushing end after his defense played well for the first half against the Chargers.) Schwartz was an original Mean Machine Ravens assistant, coming “off the boat” with most of Bill Belichick’s staff in 1996 when Art

Chudzinski the latest to pass on Ravens job…

Nestor Aparicio

Earlier today, The Sun reported that Cleveland offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski signed a contract extension and will remain with the Browns. He has cancelled his appointment to meet with Steve Bisciotti and the Ravens today for the head coaching job. The media situation in Cleveland is strange today, with most of the state being at tonight’s national championship game covering Ohio State (they’re still the biggest deal in the state of Ohio, really.) Meanwhile, Terry Pluto wrote a great piece on Chudzinski and his situation in this morning’s Cleveland Plain Dealer. As Brian Billick would say: “Next man up!”    

Next up for questioning: BRIAN Schottenheimer

Nestor Aparicio

As has been reported everywhere in the known universe, deposed and holding defensive coordinator Rex Ryan got his chance to come back into the Bellagio today as a potential head coach for the Ravens. So far, mum’s the word. One interesting thing that has leaked today is that the Ravens are finally submitting to an interview of a Schottenheimer. But, suprisingly enough, it’s NOT Marty! It’s his 34-year old son, Brian. The Associated Press is reporting that New York Jets offensive coordinator and five-franchise veteran Brian Schottenheimer will get a look this week by the Ravens’ search committee. The Ravens have also denied breaking any rules in regard to yesterday’s interview of Dallas assistant coach Tony Sparano. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen dropped a reference on today’s pre-game show to Miami alleging that the Ravens had an unfair recruiting advantage by inviting Sparano to their Owings Mills campus. It’s gonna be a firestorm until Steve Bisciotti finds his coach. We promise to keep you in the loop here at WNST. You can also join our text service and you’ll know the instant that we obtain any exclusive information or breaking news.      

Dallas newspaper reports Garrett’s ties to Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

How better to celebrate a day when both the Redskins and Steelers get eliminated than by surfing the internet amidst our own Ravens’ coaching change? This is a new experience for me. The last time the Ravens changed coaches, the internet wasn’t really at a stage where you could follow long-distance developments on an hourly basis. Because, like you, I love the Ravens too, we’re going to link you in with everything reputable that there is to read here on WNST.net. Here’s a nugget I dug up from the Dallas Morning News. According to Todd Archer’s piece on Friday night, “(Jason) Garrett has a close connection to the Ravens. Baltimore’s vice president of football administration, Pat Moriarty, was a running back for Garrett’s dad, Jim, in Cleveland in 1979 and would work out at the Garretts’ house.” Every coach in the league has some ancillary connection to someone in Owings Mills. The league tends to be incestuous in that way. But it is nontheless and interesting, and perhaps, relevant tidbit. BTW: Somehow it’s not the same watching Mike Tomlin lose as it was Bill Cowher.  I honestly hate Pittsburgh a little less now that Cowher’s gone.  The Redskins, however, are

Philly newspaper stokes Billick to Eagles rumor

Nestor Aparicio

These days, many deposed coaches with money left on their old contracts go to the next town to become a “consultant” to help a head coach. That’s what Jim Fassel was to Brian Billick, initially. As was Vic Fangio when he first came to Baltimore. It happens all the time. Again, I have not chatted with Brian Billick so I have NO IDEA what his post-Ravens intentions might be.  But, Paul Domowitch of the Philly Daily News speculates here and drums up the Billick to Filthy rumors. Give Casey props on this one…he’s digging the net like a mine!    

Bride…or bridesmaids in Owings Mills?

Nestor Aparicio

The very tight-lipped Ravens front office search committee began their interviewing process Friday with an interrogation of Colts assistant head coach and QB coach Jim Caldwell. I guess if you want to know about offense, starting with the guy who spends eight hours a day with Peyton Manning isn’t a bad place to start. Today, they’ll hang with “F.O.T” — Friends of Tony — Romo, that is. A pair of Dallas Cowboys assistants – offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and assistant head coach for their offensive line, Tony Sparano, are next up in Dallas as they prepare for their playoff game next weekend. Next week, Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski will take a turn and I’m hearing whispers about Philadelphia secondary coach John Harbaugh, brother of former Ravens QB and Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh. But just whispers… Now that Bill Cowher, Josh McDaniels and Kirk Ferentz have essentially eliminated themselves from the search, I’d have to think that Steve Bisciotti might at least be having a momentary pause at just how popular the Ravens head coaching job is in coaching circles, especially when the general manager and head coach and entire football operations staff got overruled or fired on New Year’s

So, what’s the temperature in Owings Mills?

Nestor Aparicio

I’m going to cover a few items that have been in hot debate on the comments of our WNST blogs over the past 48 hours (in no particular order). This is a long blog, there’s been lots to hear and say on these issues. Some think I’ve been particularly hard on Steve Bisciotti over the past 24 hours. I have! He deserves it. And even though you think I won’t, I will tell him when I see him. And he knows I will. I want to clarify my position (although some folks use the anonymity of the internet to twist the words I actually write…cracks me up! What I REALLY write is listed up here at the top. I make a point to be clear and write in the King’s English. Read it, digest it, and try comment on what I actually WRITE, not what you fabricate.). But I digress… I like Steve Bisciotti. I hold him in very high regard. I thought Monday’s handling of the firing of Brian Billick was bush league. He has his reasons, which he declined to share. I just know what I saw and I’ve been doing this for 25 years and Monday was

I know you think hockey sucks…

Nestor Aparicio

But there’s no WAY you can be watching this blizzard game in Buffalo and NOT think this is cool. I can’t tell you how close my hockey friends and I came to actually flying to Buffalo this morning to go to this game. Had it not been New Year’s Day, we really might’ve done it. I can tell you this: we’re sitting here eating lunch and bumming that we DIDN’T go now that we see how much fun it looks like…at least for the first period before we started to freeze for a game we didn’t care about! The HD cameras bring it life, trying to track the puck is crazy, the blizzard going on, the kids playing on the "pond" next the rink…the stadium chock full of crazy Buffaloanians…it just looks like something you’d wanna say you were there for. Of course, if we were there we wouldn’t get to see so many interviews between Sydney Crosby and Darren Pang, where it feels like every other word accentuates their wacky Canadian accents. After all, it’s an OAT-door game… It’s weird, because I just sat in the upper deck of that stadium a few weeks ago shooting videos for wnsTV

David Modell’s original Profile for a Ravens head coach

Nestor Aparicio

So, because at heart, I’m the world’s biggest Ravens geek, I have a library full of stuff to break at out key times like this. Here’s one: David Modell’s original profile list from Dec. 1998 for what he was looking for in a head coach for the Ravens. I’m breaking this out SOLELY to illustrate what might be going with the Ravens brass as they seek a new head coach. It’s also a review of the last time the Ravens sought a head coach. And, remember Modell’s his prime candidates: Jim Haslett, Sherm Lewis, Emmitt Thomas, Chris Palmer and Terry Donahue (whom his father, Art, was DYING to hire). The other was a guy named Brian Billick. The best "candidates" for the job were two Super Bowl champion coaches: George Seifert and Mike Holmgren, both of whom wanted money and/or power that David Modell couldn’t afford them. Hard to remember this time frame, but before Billick came along, the Ravens’ job was a wasteland for NFL coaches. The Ravens and Modell were a virtual laughingstock. It was not considered a "prime" place for a prime coach. It was a "bottom end" job in the NFL, which is why Seifert and

The honeymoon ends for Steve Bisciotti

Nestor Aparicio

As you can well imagine, the mind is racing on this New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a million thoughts, none of them tremendously positive for the Ravens. And, for all of you who have read my blogs or Moons over the years who really think I’ve been “easy” on the Ravens, this blog’s for you. What I saw yesterday was the absolute worst-case scenario, something I prayed as a fan and business owner and media member I thought I’d never see. It was a random act of ruthless management by Bisciotti, leaving everyone shaking their heads in Owings Mills. And it had EVERY single earmark of a thrown-together P.R. disaster, a red-alert crisis management situation for the most public business and the most public figure in the city. Billick has yet to speak, but I gotta wonder what he’s thinking tonight as he watches the fireworks on TV on this New Year’s Eve. He went to work this morning, given EVERY assurance that his job was safe, his coaches and their families’ lives were in order, and everything was status quo. He was putting together an annual review and had meetings set up for noon. At 11 a.m. Steve Bisciotti,

Bisciotti UPDATED press conference notes HERE…

Nestor Aparicio

Steve Bisciotti is ashed-faced, discussing the firing of Brian Billick. He has stopped several times with a lump in his throat. Bisciotti said that he wouldn’t address specific issues regarding to the firing of Brian Billick. He went on, when pressed, to finally admit that it was "a gut feel" sorta thing. Ozzie Newsome and Dick Cass both joined him at the podium. Both said they were instrumental in Billick’s firing. Bisciotti said in the four years he’s owned the team, the team has made the playoffs just once and he felt it was heading in the wrong direction. Newsome looks quite uncomfortable. Ravens VP Kevin Byrne, who blogged on the official website three days ago that Brian Billick would NOT be fired, looks absolutely pale. Byrne met with Steve Bisciotti to discuss the Wednesday "I’m keeping Brian Billick" press conference late last week. The press conference was short, succinct and downright macabre. It was basically a dog and pony show that didn’t offer a lot, in real terms. And the media was limited to about 12 questions, one per person, really. Bisciotti must’ve learned something from watching the Orioles and their lack of ownership at press conferences. He CLEARLY

A future Hall of Fame coach coming?

Nestor Aparicio

Word now outta the Ravens locker room is that Steve Bisciotti announced to the players that Brian Billick was fired and that a "future" Hall of Fame coach would be coming to take over the team. Again, ANYTHING we hear at this point is grist for the rumor mill, but wouldn’t that be Marty Schottenheimer or Bill Cowher? I doubt that it’s Marv Levy…or is he already in the Hall of Fame? Gotta keep your sense of humor with this stuff…

WOW…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve covered the team for 12 years and, just when you think you’ve seen it all, THIS happens. In 12 years, I’ve NEVER been lied to or led astray — NEVER — by anyone in the building in Owings Mills! (That’s what I’ve come to expect from the Orioles, not the Ravens!) Not one coach or player or front office person has EVER been dishonest with me, so obviously, it’s easy to buy into the credibility of all of your sources. Especially, when they’re all saying the same thing: Billick is the safest guy in the building. I’m floored, shocked beyond belief actually — but not TOTALLY baffled by it. * The team was 5-11. * Billick clearly had issues with some of the players, including Ray Lewis, who ultimately has won the war. *  The loudest fans were screaming at the top of their lungs to get rid of Billick, but that ALWAYS happens when a team is 5-11. (I gotta think Mike Preston is the happiest man on the face of the earth. It’ll be his best New Year’s Eve ever!) *  There were definitely some “disciplinary” issues that became an issue when the team started losing, and

Nestor’s ‘BEFORE THE FIRING’ blog…insert joke here!

Nestor Aparicio

(IF I WROTE FOR A NEWSPAPER, THIS WOULD BE BIRDCAGE MATERIAL… But at least I still retain my sense of humor…this was written at 8 a.m. Monday morning) Because the "Is Brian Billick getting fired?" uproar around town has begun yet again, due to Jay Glazer’s report regarding players giving Steve Bisciotti direct feedback, it’s time once again to set the record straight (as we always try to do here at WNST.net). Brian Billick is NOT getting fired on Wednesday. Sure, there will be MANY changes in the offseason — the Ravens will change lots of players, a few coaches, obtain a new offensive coordinator (here are six names: Cam Cameron, Mike Mularkey, Ron Turner, Scott Linehan, Mike Martz and Mike Tice) and might even have some changes coming in the player personnel area do to inevitable poaching — but Billick and Ozzie Newsome will not be forced out of Owings Mills. Several sources indicate that if anything, Bisciotti is MUCH more angry at the many players who have under-acheived, been injured or have been busy attempting to throw the coaching staff under the bus during the past 10 weeks. Perhaps Glazer’s report was partially correct, Bisciotti might’ve been fishing

Bizarre finish in Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

Let’s get this outta the way right away: ANY win over the Pittsburgh Steelers is a reason for a celebration. Agreed, it means nothing more than a worse draft pick at this point, but ending the season with 10 losses in a row sounds a lot worse right now. I’ll gladly take the win. It was a sloppy effort for anyone who attended the game this afternoon, but there were some encouraging "signs of life" for a team that had been accused of quitting in some circles. David Pittman wanted to play. Corey Ross and Corey Ivy came to play. Adam Terry lined up at tight end. Derrick Mason caught the ball. Troy Smith looked like he’s in the embryo stage of being a very serviceable NFL quarterback. After the game, the storylines played out in the locker room. Jon Ogden did his usual press conference, with a few more bodies at his locker and Scott Garceau quizzing him about a pending retirement. Ogden left himself enough rope to come back, but at no point indicated that he was leaning in the direction of Westminster. I would list his return as very doubtful. Next door, Mike Flynn was telling everyone

Rex Ryan might get a look in Atlanta

Nestor Aparicio

The rumors have started to swirl that Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan will be getting a look by Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons later this week. There are a bevy of candidates for the job, but the chances continue to increase that the Ravens of 2008 are going to look MIGHTY different from the Ravens of today’s finale. Already, Rick Neuheisel is gone, which we kinda all knew for quite some time, even if he didn’t get the UCLA job. So, what happens to Chris Foerster, Wade Harmon and others on the offensive coaching staff? This is the time of the year when the assistant coaches get canned or wooed to other places. And don’t think for a second that Eric Decosta and George Kokinis are safe from being raided away from Owings Mills by being the "Ozzie Newsome" of another organization. Every year someone seems to court them because evaluating talent is the No. 1 priority for every organization in the league. Tis the season for changes… The next 72 hours could provide MAJOR, MAJOR changes for the Ravens before Steve Bisciotti even takes the podium in Owings Mills for what amounts to his "State of the Union"

Pittsburgh invades Baltimore…again!

Nestor Aparicio

So today marks another battle in the dirty little civic war between the Charm City and the Steel City. Obviously, today would be the low ebb for anyone in purple with recent memories. The Steelers are going to the playoffs, we’re going back to the drawing board, and even with Ben Roethlisberger riding the pine, our chances of winning the game today are remote. And to add salt to the wounds, the stadium will be half-empty – no doubt – given the worst weather forecast possible (rainy, mid-30s). And a large percentage of the half who will show up will be waving yellow snot rags. Sure, I hate Pittsburgh as much as any man from Baltimore can hate Pittsburgh. It’s a major part of my DNA, I honestly believe. Maybe it’s from the 1970s, when Terry Bradshaw beat Bert Jones in Pittsburgh in 1975, and then came into Memorial Stadium in 1976 and did it again, even though I remember more about Donald Kroner from that day in the upper deck. The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates and Omar Moreno and his wife, well, enough said about that. I covered most of it in Chapter 8 of Purple Reign. So this has

Who’s watching football today?

Nestor Aparicio

THIS IS A RUNNING BLOG THAT WILL GO ALL DAY OR UNTIL THE RAVENS WIN OR LOSE THIS UGLY AFFAIR…. One more reminder: Today’s promotion at the Gold Club has been cancelled. So, I’ll be holding an open blog area here today to chat, post thoughts, comments, etc. if you are as bored as I am, watching Marvin Lewis and Jamal Lewis freeze today in Cincinnati. So, post comments if you wish, I’ll post them all afternoon… Initial thoughts: 1:17 p.m. * I’m assuming there are a lot of Clevelanders in Cincy today, given the fact that this is the biggest game they’ve played in years. But with all of the orange, who the hell can tell, right? I’m waiting for the first (and inevitable) Cleveland score. * The mere notion that it’s Christmas weekend and the Browns can still win the AFC North just boggles my mind. It feels like two weeks ago that I sat with Phil Savage in Cleveland, where he told me to temper my enthusiasm for the 2007 Browns. Even HE didn’t think they could be 9-5, I’m convinced. * Nice story with Kevin Everett in Buffalo today. It’ll be interesting to see how the

The Ravens season and ‘It’s Academic’

Nestor Aparicio

I’m sitting around on a Saturday morning watching “It’s Academic.” I gotta be honest, I didn’t know the show still existed, but it’s a real treasure. It still has all the cheesy graphics and kitschy-ness that it did in 1978. Today’s it’s Boonsboro, Bryn Mawr and Middletown. It could be the 1967 or 2007, and “It’s Academic” still works. And the questions haven’t changed at all, either! Makes me wanna take the S.A.T. all over again! Anyway, the Ravens are on my mind today. Many people have commented on my blogs this week and sent me emails wondering why I didn’t write anything about the Miami loss. Well, first, it’s Christmas week, I’m going through a myriad of work-related issues and I’ve been at a loss for what to say. And the beauty of writing blogs vs. doing radio is this: I get time to think things through and, perhaps, in my older age, try to find some wisdom that goes beyond Monday Morning Quarterbacking. So, today, I feel inspired to write something cogent, and no doubt, controversial. I should be in Seattle today. No, strike that: Vancouver. I had a Thursday night flight to Seattle that I booked back

Miller Lite Las Vegas Super Party Contest UPDATE INFO HERE!!!!

Nestor Aparicio

CONTEST IS CLOSED…BUT THERE IS SOME GREAT READING HERE!!!!!!! READ AND ENJOY!!! Some days are better than others… This morning I was awakened at 5:54 to see that our Miller Lite Super Party thread on our message board was deleted. We’ve had a major coding error in our website’s message board system, which shut down the FORUMS board overnight. Needless to say, this is very unfortunate and I feel horrible and want to apologize to those whose postings were lost, but we still want to pick a winner and want to get as many submissions as possible. So, we wanna be totally and 100% fair in how we judge the contest and pick a winner for our trip to Vegas for 2 for Super "February" weekend, courtesy of Miller Lite. Entering the contest was easy and fun: Just submit a 150 word essay using the words of Brian Billick, explaining what went wrong with the Ravens season this year using Billick’s verbiage. You get to BE Brian for 150 words! We had some beauties — very clever and funny stuff. So, if you submitted yesterday, please RESUBMIT it NOW as a comment to this thread. If you want to enter,

A Happy Ending for Neuheisel?

Nestor Aparicio

Here’s hoping it all works out for Rick Neuheisel this week. Judging from everything I’ve heard around Owings Mills, it’s pretty obvious that Neuheisel will not be invited back to be the offensive coordinator for 2008. It’s also pretty obvious that he’s the prime candidate at UCLA, where he was the quarterback of a Rose Bowl winning team many moons ago. And Brian Billick has been unabashed in his praise for Neuheisel and his love of the college game. He even went so far as to say that it’s probably where Neuheisel belongs, mainly because he enjoys it so much. For the record, I like Rick Neuheisel. And if my boy could play football at that level, he could certainly play for Rick Neuheisel at UCLA. It’s been an interesting ride for him here, what with the Jim Fassel fiasco, the 13-3 joyride, the ups and many downs of Kyle Boller’s existence, and the Steve McNair tutoring that might have been a strange brew for a very, VERY successful college coach who was ex-patrioted over some stirred up alumni and a silly college basketball March Madness pool in Washington. (By the way, his return this weekend and the notion that

Brian Roberts falls on the sword

Nestor Aparicio

So, Brian Roberts really DID use steroids. And, alas, Larry Bigbie told the truth. As Paul Harvey might say, “Now we know the rest of the story…” Or do we? The lesson here about steroids and baseball really doesn’t have much to do with stats or pride or sanctity of the game. The lesson here is about a good man with a good image like Brian Roberts. In the spring of 2003, Brian Roberts was a fringe major league player. He had 401 at-bats in the big leagues and was coming off a year that he hit .227. He could’ve become the next Billy Smith, a decent platoon player for a couple of years and made a few nickels. Or he could’ve been a Bill Ripken, a 10-year sometimes starter who had a nice career. Or he could’ve been a Jeff Reboulet, who lasted forever in a number of roles. Or he might’ve been a Roberto Alomar, a five-tool sensation who could do it all. Or, he might’ve been the next Jesse Garcia, who never made it at all. But, with competition with Jerry Hairston running high for the job at second base in Baltimore, maybe Brian Roberts thought when

Baseball gets its day of reckoning …

Nestor Aparicio

It’s almost comical to me, sitting here watching the poor cats on the ESPN TV feed try to put this Mitchell Report into perspective. From Steve Phillips explaining away his plight as a general manager of the Mets and being unable to do anything about his suspicions of players’ steroid abuse, to John Kruk admonishing everyone who did it for cheating the game, to Peter Gammons and Karl Ravech (who clearly have a personal relationship with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettite) looking downright funereal, it’s an absolute circus. What names will be on the list? What other “suspicious” characters will NOT be on the list? Jose Canseco has now posted up at the media center in a fur coat, smiling and taking pictures with admirers as he enters. That’s where we are folks — even the guiltiest of guilty and the rich of rich and cheating-ist of the cheaters are still legends. It’s almost a slice of Americana idol worship gone mad. These guys cheated the game. They cheated the fans. They cheated the history of the game. They made millions upon millions (if not BILLIONS of dollars) never to be returned, and they basically stole it from you and

Mitchell Report will be a sham

Nestor Aparicio

Today, MLB and The Mitchell Report will produce and promote the biggest $25 million sham since the Orioles signed Aubrey Huff. As Jack Nicholson once screamed: "YOU can’t HANDLE the truth!" The real "truth" will NEVER be known. I was IN all of those clubhouses for all of those years. I literally was in the Orioles clubhouse before and after almost every game from 1992 through 1998. So was Peter Schmuck and Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian and Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark and everyone else whose work and reactions you will read and see over the next two days, responding to this 400-page, almost phone-bookish portrayal of how screwed up baseball’s drug culture is/was during the turn of the century. It will make for some great "semi-fiction," but what’s the end game here? To prove that steroid use was rampant during the era of baseball after Jose Canseco? Why don’t we dispatch another washed up senator with direct ties to baseball’s ownership to the North Pole to do an expose on the whereabouts of Santa Claus? The Mitchell Report will irrefutably report that using steroids would allow you to: A. Hit the ball further. B. Make a helluva lot

The NFL Coaching Carousel Begins…

Nestor Aparicio

Usually it doesn’t begin for a few more weeks, but given the Ravens’ own civic issues regarding hiring or firing the head coach, it’s never too early to start the "who will be where next season" NFL coaching carousel. The first NFL job to open came unexpectedly yesterday when Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino packed his bags for Arkansas. Not since Nick Saban’s five minutes in Miami have I seen a coach blistered more thoroughly on the internet for being as creepy as Petrino. Seems as though everyone from the janitors to DeAngelo Hall hated him in Atlanta. I couldn’t find one quote from anyone saying anything kind about Petrino. I DID however start to see the next list of "NFL head coaching candidates" appear and the names have significant Baltimore and WNST ties. From Peter King’s SI.com dispatch on Petrino: After the season, it’s likely Atlanta will talk against to one of the finalists for the job last year — San Francisco assistant head coach Mike Singletary. The top pro candidates this year are expected to include offensive coordinator Jason Garrett of the Cowboys and defensive coordinators Rex Ryan of Baltimore and Jim Schwartz of the Titans. So, as

Billick Bashers unite once again…

Nestor Aparicio

One day, Mike Preston might live long enough to see his man hanged. One day, Brian Billick might actually GET fired, making Preston the king of the "I told you so" club. Or maybe not. Maybe three years from now, Billick will just "walk away" from the Ravens to a life of boating on the Chesapeake, living on the Eastern Shore, attending Baltimore civic events and giving speeches to raise money for Living Classrooms, his charity of choice. But none of these decisions will be on Mike Preston’s timeline. And Mike Preston’s thoughts and timeline have NOTHING to do with what Steve Bisciotti is thinking or going to do. And I would suspect that Mike Preston would be the LAST person on earth Steve Bisciotti would speak to regarding Brian Billick’s job security. Preston has been trying — unsucessfully in every attempt — for the better part of a decade to portray Billick as the village idiot and Mr. Unpopular, Mr. Arrogant and "Compu-coach" to the Baltimore Ravens’ fandom through his acts of "journalism" in The Sun. And for many folks, he has become their angry, spiritual leader. The Sun says Billick is an inept, incompetent jerk, so it MUST

Led Zeppelin…if you care?

Nestor Aparicio

Not sports related, but it’s all most of my friends (we’re old!) can talk about. Led Zeppelin played their first (and ONLY if we believe them) show since Live Aid 1985 in Philadelphia (and I was at that show) yesterday afternoon at the O2 Arena in London. It’s amazing, the world in 2007! I couldn’t believe that they didn’t pay-per-view the thing for $49.99 in my living room. It would’ve been the party of the year! But, instead of paying the upward of $10,000 per ticket — that was the going rate in London — I am now watching "Kashmir" on youtube. And before I went up to Piv’s Pub to interview Mark Clayton last night, I was following a live "set list" update on a British website. There’s also a copy of "Black Dog" here, complete with British broadcaster. More to come for sure, but several people pulled me up at Piv’s last night to discuss the Zeppelin reunion, and I’m honestly not hearing/reading much about it in the traditional media. Here is a great, running account of last night’s proceedings. You gotta love when people do good work on the web! They are still the greatest rock and

Worst Night Since The Mayflower Vans…

Nestor Aparicio

I knew the minute I arrived in my seats and saw the inactives. No Chris McAlister. Yeah, I knew that was going to be a big problem. But, of course Samari Rolle was penciled in. But as the Ravens took the field on defense, I looked left and saw David Pittman and right and saw Jamaine Winborne. The depth chart included Derrick Martin. I knew right then, it was going to be a very, very long night. I text Drew and Casey at kickoff and said: “The Colts might score 50 tonight!” I sent that text at 8:23. By 9:01 p.m., the score was 21-0. By 9:04 it was 23-0. At 9:16, the score was: Colts 30, Ravens 0 What would the players rather have? The fans leave en masse at halftime, or stay – wet and miserable — and boo mercilessly all night for the lackluster effort? Several times during the NBC broadcast, John Madden said “they don’t even look like they know where to line up!” I didn’t expect them to beat the Colts. I had very tempered “enthusiasm” walking into the stadium. I fully expected the worst, and would go so far as to say if I

Jon Ogden and retirement…

Nestor Aparicio

With horseshoes on the brain, I’ve spent the day thinking about how much fun I had at the game on Monday night. And which set of purple helmets will post tomorrow night on Sunday Night Football as the "World Champion" Indianapolis Colts roll into the stadium? The Sun is reporting a major Jon Ogden "non-retirement" story — which amounted to nothing, really. I’ve known Ogden very well from the beginning and I’d be shocked if he came back and played football next year. Absolutely shocked. But he’s nowhere NEAR making any announcement, and he told me as much yesterday. Think more like March or April. And he made it VERY clear that he won’t want/desire/need or be a party to any "fanfare" about it. Typical J.O., really. Large guy, small needs. This is a tough time of the toughest season of all for Jon Ogden, Mike Flynn, Steve McNair, Trevor Pryce and anybody else who might be playing the final games of their collective careers amidst injury, physical breakdowns that only the battles of the past decade could foretell and the worst possible result: losing, and losing badly. "Playing out the string" is what they call it. But this might

Bryant Gumbel still sucks…

Nestor Aparicio

This will be a short blog, but I just feel compelled to write sometimes, especially when the obvious jumps out at me. Once again tonight, the NFL Network has subjected us to its woeful ineptitude. It’s gotten so bad around my condo, that when Bryant Gumbel is calling the game, we almost don’t want to watch it just because it makes our ears bleed. You really forget how much a good announcer (say a Joe Buck or a Gary Thorne or a Jon Miller) can bring to a broadcast. How much more you wanna watch the game, how much more fun the whole evening becomes when you’re sucked into the drama, the storyline, the information and the "event" of the night. The good ones can make ANY game sound significant and interesting. It’s just so glaringly apparent to most anyone who truly likes football, how little Bryant Gumbel likes football circa 2007. It’s bad enough Rich Eisen keeps me away from the NFL Network most weeknights, but when there’s a game I wanna watch the least the league and its mothership could provide is an announcer who knows the game, knows the players and actually LIKES football as much as

Blowing kisses to Nestor…

Nestor Aparicio

The message boards at WNST.net are now open. The comments on blogs have been available for weeks. So, it’s amusing to me that I STILL get personal emails and attacks sent directly to me at my email address. If anyone wants to rip my opinions or thoughts, there are a myriad of ways to do it publicly so EVERYONE can see my "fan mail." Our policy here at WNST.net in regard to feedback from the public is still evolving (and we’re always amazed to see how mean-spirited and undignified some folks can be…there are a LOT of cruel people in the world and it takes being a public figure to find that out in some cases. Very sad, in many cases how miserable and angry some people are and how it makes them feel good to attack others. But I digress…) But we don’t expect it to be any different from what we’ve done on the radio over the past 16 years (by the way, it’ll be 16 YEARS ago on Dec. 13th that I walked into that crappy studio at WITH-AM 1230 at 5 Light Street and began this crazy trip). Make your point, be respectful and don’t make

Am I the only one?

Nestor Aparicio

The Ravens coaching search has cooled significantly over the past four days after a week of a flurry of actvity.

Could the Schwartz be with us?

Nestor Aparicio

So, today was Brian Schottenheimer’s turn in Owings Mills. The speculation is juicy, isn’t it. Marty Ball could come here

WOW…

Nestor Aparicio

I’ve covered the team for 12 years and, just when you think you’ve seen it all, THIS happens. In 12

Bizarre finish in Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

Let’s get this outta the way right away: ANY win over the Pittsburgh Steelers is a reason for a celebration.

A Happy Ending for Neuheisel?

Nestor Aparicio

Here’s hoping it all works out for Rick Neuheisel this week. Judging from everything I’ve heard around Owings Mills, it’s

Mitchell Report will be a sham

Nestor Aparicio

Today, MLB and The Mitchell Report will produce and promote the biggest $25 million sham since the Orioles signed Aubrey

Led Zeppelin…if you care?

Nestor Aparicio

Not sports related, but it’s all most of my friends (we’re old!) can talk about. Led Zeppelin played their first

Jon Ogden and retirement…

Nestor Aparicio

With horseshoes on the brain, I’ve spent the day thinking about how much fun I had at the game on

Bryant Gumbel still sucks…

Nestor Aparicio

This will be a short blog, but I just feel compelled to write sometimes, especially when the obvious jumps out

Blowing kisses to Nestor…

Nestor Aparicio

The message boards at WNST.net are now open. The comments on blogs have been available for weeks. So, it’s amusing

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